1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a transportable picnic kitchen device and, more particularly, to a trailer mounted transportable kitchen appliances mounted to and retracted within a tow-able trailer for deployment of cooking facilities in a remote area.
2. Description of the Related Art
An activity known as “tailgate parties” has become commonplace at a variety of sporting events. In a tailgate party, sports fans and spectators gather in parking lots and along roadsides to eat, drink and socialize prior to a sporting event. Tailgate parties have become popular in the United States as social gatherings events that take place in stadium parking lots before football games. The use of the tailgate party has spread to the pre-game festivities at sporting events of all kinds (e.g. football, basketball and baseball) and is also used at non-sporting events such as weddings and other non-sports-related barbecue gatherings. The previously underground subculture is now a part of the mainstream and has become typical and widespread. However, with its popularity has come an identification of various challenges to supporting such an event. Tailgate parties typically occur in the parking lots of sports arenas where no food service equipment is available. Sports fans and spectators often bring food and beverages, but this can be limited to pre-made or ready-to-each picnic fare due to the absence of cooking appliances, running water, and the like. Tailgate parties normally take place in or around the vehicles of the participants. Some sports fans bring portable picnic tables and chairs in their vehicles to use at the parties, while others simply sit on their vehicles. It is also common for picnics similar to tailgate parties to be enjoyed in various remote areas, such as in parking lots of amusement parks, national forests, public picnic grounds, roadside parks, and the like.
Table and chair assemblies have been developed specifically for use at tailgate parties, picnics and the like. A typical tailgate table and chair assembly is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,741 issued to Thomas J. Anderson (“the '741 patent”). The '741 patent provides a vehicle-mounted table and chair assembly that mounts to the towing hitch of a vehicle and forms a table and seating device suitable for tailgate parties, camping, and the like. However, the table and chair assembly disclosed in the '741 patent suffers from a number of disadvantages. For example, the table and chair assembly of the '741 patent seats only two people, extends rearwardly from the vehicle a great distance, is difficult and cumbersome to place in a retracted or stowed position for transport, places a great deal of stress on the vehicle hitch during use, and is relatively uncomfortable to sit at due to its lack of foot room. While attending group gatherings such as sporting events, picnics, and children's sporting events such as Little League games, to enhance the enjoyment of the event, it has become commonplace to bring food and beverages in one's vehicle to consume once the vehicle has been parked at the group gathering. These types of group gatherings at sporting events are often referred to as “tailgate parties.” Often, people gather around a hatchback portion of a typical vehicle (often a large passenger-style car such as a sport-utility vehicle or a minivan) or the bed of a truck and consume the food and beverages. The food and beverages are typically packed in foam or other insulated coolers. In the case of food and beverages which are desired to be kept cold, the food and beverages are packed in a cooler and typically surrounded with ice. In the case of food and beverages which are desired to be kept warm, the food and beverages are packed in a cooler after typically having been pre-cooked and packed in the cooler while still warm. In the case of food and beverages which are desired to be cooked at the group gathering site, the food is typically packed in a cooler with ice, and the attendees of the party often assemble a gas or charcoal grill adjacent to the vehicle after arriving at the site and cook the food thereon.
Food preparation and serving for these types of group gatherings is often difficult because of the outdoor location of the event and the portability required of the equipment, and it can be even more difficult than at home cooking to keep the food and beverages at a desired serving temperature. For example, if some of the food and beverages are needed to be kept at one temperature (such as a warm temperature) and other of the food and beverages are needed to be kept at another temperature (such as a cold temperature), the packing, assembly and transport of the food and beverages can be even more difficult. In addition, if any of the food needs to be cooked at the gathering site, the attendees must also bring a grill and an appropriate fuel source (such as charcoal). The number of coolers for warm food and beverages, coolers for cold food and beverages, coolers for food that needs to be kept cold prior to cooking, and a grill can require a substantial amount of space in the vehicle is well as substantial inconvenience in packing the vehicle and unpacking the vehicle at the gathering site.
In spite of these ad hoc developments, however, the prior art still falls short of providing a full-service kitchen appliances that are transportable. Consequently, a substantially need for the present invention has been found.